samcster94
Banned
Spain in the 1930's pulled off a failed one, and it turned into a bloody war with the fascist/monarchist side winning after three years. Then again, the tech level was different(telephones and cars existed), Spain was more centralized, their military was very right wing while the government was left wing, pessimism over future(losing Cuba to the U.S. for instance),and there wasn't the same political culture(centuries of monarchy, Spain had just been turned into an extremely left wing Republic by 1930's standards). For the South to attempt a coup, even a failed one, would be out of character when secession was a clearly more viable political option.Usually they work because the "machinery of state" is relatively strong and centralized, and there is more loyalty to obeying the orders of the "machine" than to the constitutional process of choosing the head of government. The coupsters don't crush resistance - they neutralize possible resisters at the key moment (cut off phones and telegraphs; roadblocks at key points, the more difficult to rush the better; commanders persuaded to wait and see) and then present them with a fait accompli. In many cases the old regime is demoralized and either fails to resist the coup or to muster any resistance afterward.
As noted, none of these factors would apply in the U.S. in 1860.